hammer change - shaping

antares@euronet.nl antares@euronet.nl
Thu, 8 May 2003 23:14:46 +0200


And what did I say! grinnnnnnnnnn


On donderdag, mei 8, 2003, at 23:07 Europe/Amsterdam, Isaac OLEG wrote:

> Hello Richard,
>
> I am often amazed to see how much of a good tone is obtained while
> leaving the strings mark almost intact.
> And indeed unless a complete go round is made half solutions does not
> seem to gove interesting results. (Particularly because too much
> weight is off if complete shaping is done)
> That is why I am very interested in seeing the method (and hear the
> result) for these fast cap shaping supposedly due at Yamaha France.
>
>
> I may state I am not impressed with the tone of the conservatory
> pianos, they sound like , eh . school pianos (grin)
> Too much shaping mean that the outer core is broken, so the work is to
> be done agin almost from the start.
> I'd say the hammers I've seen where terribly lacking power after they
> have been shaped lightly agin an again.
>
> And I measure DW 40 UW 15 for instance in the middle of a Steinway B .
> Goes for a very light head probably.
>
> Sometime the felt does not hold enough and shaping the shoulders
> modify the global shape to a potatoes.
> This is why I wonder if a first good deep and battery needling is not
> the good method, and then, a little shaping only to have less large
> grooves is due. Nowadays that is the way the S&S techs work on
> instruments that are used a lot like in Radio France. They change
> hammers every 8 years or so with this method.
> The trick is to leave enough reserve and be very cautious to keep
> enough basement. ( low shoulder firmness )
> But the top may be very tensioned and springy, then the size of the
> grooves matter way less, and it is not damping high partials as can be
> believed at first.
>
> Any more thoughts ?
>
> Regards and greetings.
>
> Isaac OLEG
>
> Entretien et reparation de pianos.
>
> PianoTech
> 17 rue de Choisy
> 94400 VITRY sur SEINE
> FRANCE
> tel : 033 01 47 18 06 98
> fax : 033 01 47 18 06 90
> cell: 06 60 42 58 77
>
>> -----Message d'origine-----
>> De : Richard Brekne [mailto:Richard.Brekne@grieg.uib.no]
>> Envoye : jeudi 8 mai 2003 22:43
>> A : oleg-i@wanadoo.fr; Pianotech
>> Objet : Re: hammer change - shaping
>>
>>
>> Issac, Ed, and others..
>>
>> Andre' went into this subject in some detail with me while we were
>> visiting during the Easter holidays. I think as I
>> understand his point
>> that it is his contention that the voice of the hammer
>> remains basically
>> intact even through what is often considered rather severe
>> wear. Instead
>> of a complete reshaping job entailing re-mating hammers to
>> strings, a
>> complete revamp of the voicing due to more significant
>> changes in hammer
>> mass and exterior tension, along with all the fine single
>> string voicing
>> and whatever other tone building processes one finds usefull.....,,
>> leaving the hammers unshaped allows one to simply touch up
>> the existing
>> voicing without all the rest of it. And, I think the
>> contention is, with
>> similar results in quality.
>>
>> Thinking about this it is not sooooo off the wall. If the origional
>> shaping and mating was done well, then about the only thing that is
>> really changed with wear is the surface area that contacts
>> the string.
>> There was an article not to long ago in the Journal about
>> voicing at the
>> extremes of the string marks on such hammers.
>>
>> I dont think we are talking about a flat top that extends 5 mm or
>> anything, but certainly more wear then is usual to allow
>> for. After the
>> first reshaping then (by Andre's suggestion) and then
>> waiting until that
>> same amount of wear and tear again is apparent, roughly the
>> same amount
>> of time will have passed as what you describe in a University
>> situation.... 3-4 years. And in both cases by then hammers
>> are ready for
>> replacement.
>>
>> Course Andre' will jump in and clarify wherever I have misunderstood
>> him, but on the surface of it... it seems to make some
>> sense. Or what ?
>>
>> RicB
>>
>> Isaac OLEG wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello Andre,
>>>
>>> The instruments in the conservatory are shaped every year
>> a little.
>>>
>>> otech
>>
>> --
>> Richard Brekne
>> RPT, N.P.T.F.
>> UiB, Bergen, Norway
>> mailto:rbrekne@broadpark.no
>> http://home.broadpark.no/~rbrekne/ricmain.html
>> http://www.hf.uib.no/grieg/personer/cv_RB.html
>>
>
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>


Antares,
The Netherlands

see my website at : www.concertpianoservice.nl


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